The best compliment a customer can give new Strega restaurant owner Danilo Mongillo after tasting the food is to tell him, “I’m back in Italy,” as they recall the tastes and vibes of trips there.

“It happens frequently,” Mongillo said. “We want to give the experience you get when you’re traveling in Italy. It’s something Connecticut deserved.”For Mongillo, the goal is to serve the tastiest authentic Italian cuisine — which can be different than Italian-American cuisine many are accustomed to in America, he said.